


A Different Destiny

by Kinger556



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Friendship, Good Cinder Fall, POV Cinder Fall, Relationship(s), Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 06:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30118590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinger556/pseuds/Kinger556
Summary: What if Qrow was the one who found Cinder as a child instead of Rhodes? What if she stayed on the path of becoming a Huntress? What if Pyrrha never ended up joining Beacon? What if she was discovered by Salem instead? An AU based around switching Cinder and Pyrrha's roles. (Mostly Cinder Focused)
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Cinder Fall & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc/Cinder Fall, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Qrow Branwen & Cinder Fall
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21





	A Different Destiny

**Cinder on the Cover Image was made by '** **Strqyr'. As for Jaune in the background, I found it on Pinterest and idk who it was made by. I just Photoshopped them together.**

 **Now obviously Cinder is going to be a** _**bit** _ **OOC in this, but I'm hoping I can keep her attitude and personality somewhat similar. She's still Cinder after all.**

**Anyway, these are the ages of everyone in this first chapter. I know they're not all canon but this is just what I'm going with for this fanfiction. I even listed others not present in this chapter just so you can compare them. There's going to be time skips, so by the time Beacon begins 6 years will have passed. So add 6 years to these ages to see how old they'll be by then.**

**Cinder: 10**

**Qrow: 32**

**Ruby: 9**

**WBY/JNPR: 11**

**Mercury/Emerald: 11**

**Winter: 19**

**Ironwood: 37**

**Ozpin: 38**

**Glynda: 32**

**Oobleck/Port: 32**

**Taiyang/Raven: 32**

**Adam: 15**

**Roman Torchwick: 24**

**Neopolitan: 19**

**Oscar: 7**

**Penny: -5**

**This first chapter is going to be swapping between Cinder and Qrow's perspectives a bunch. But after this it's going to be mostly Cinder.**

* * *

Cinder suddenly looked up in surprise to see a luxurious hotel.

"Come now." Her adoptive mother opened the front door and Cinder followed her through the lobby, taking in the sights of the high-class establishment. People drank, ate, laughed, conversed. It was something she's never seen before. Her step mother led her through a door behind the front desk, into an employee room, where she cleared her throat to get Cinder's attention. Nearby stood her new step sisters. Though Cinder was quickly distracted by a basket of freshly-baked rolls.

"You're to make sure the laundry is folded, the dishes are spotless, and the floors are clean enough to eat off of." Her step mother spoke, either ignoring her interest in the food or didn't care.

Her step mother began to walk away yet Cinder reached out for her. "F- food?"

Cinder's new step sisters gasped in surprise. The straight-haired step-sister raised an eyebrow at her, and the curly-haired one giggled. Despite the step-sisters reactions, her step mother tensed up briefly but soon picked up a roll and tossed it onto the floor in front of Cinder. "Now hurry and get to your chores. The floor looks filthy." She said then exited the room. Cinder dropped to her knees and picked up the roll. The step sisters soon followed their mother, laughing to each other.

Cinder continued to work as basically a slave for her step family. They would make her scrub the floor, do laundry, and cater to their every whim. Days turned into weeks which turned into months. She began to grow angry... Though felt she could do nothing... Especially since they forced her to wear that _damn_ shock necklace...

* * *

Qrow was drunk. Yeah, not much of a shocker. Ozpin's been sending him on a fair chunk of missions recently. This time his travels took him to Atlas. He was supposed to go meet up with Ironwood on arrival but made some good time and arrived a day early. So... He figured he'd spend the time drinking his fill and getting a good night sleep for once.

Normally he heads to an average bar along the road for these kinds of things, but he _was_ in Atlas. It's been a long time since he lived it up a little. A room that doesn't look like it was ransacked with strong liquor that flowed down the throat easily. It was tempting.

And so he walked into a hotel called the 'Glass Unicorn'. Honestly, the place wasn't really his style. _But_ the liquor was always top notch in these kinds of places... He could also use his huntsman license given to him by Ozpin to send the bill to Atlas Academy, or rather Ironwood, so that was a fun bonus.

The first thing he noticed upon arrival was a 'No Faunus' sign on the front desk as he approached. He rolled his eyes at it. Even the Branwen tribe never gave a damn about that nonsense, and they're a group of thieves.

The woman who stood behind the desk narrowed her eyes at him, probably sensing both the distaste in his expression along with the stench of alcohol. Qrow could notice these things from a mile away at this point. However once her eyes drifted down to see the large blade attached to the back of his waist her expression changed to a more accepting one. "Hello fine huntsman, welcome to the Glass Unicorn. Would you like a room? Or perhaps just some food and drink?"

To her credit, the woman actually sounded happy to see him. She was a fabulous actor. But Qrow knew in the first ten seconds it took to approach the front desk that both of them made up their minds about the other. That being said... Qrow just wanted some booze and a bed for the night, no trouble needed. "A room, a good one. No food but as for drink..." he thought about the fact of Ironwood having to be the one to pay the bill for all this. "Strongest and most expensive bottle of liquor ya' got."

He could see her smile widen just a tinge. Perhaps she actually was happy to see him. More money for her after all. Greedy ones like her probably don't care about much else. "Very well. That will be-" though before she could finish Qrow just tossed over his huntsman license and a black lien card.

"Just charge it to this." he said. The woman graciously took the lien and swiped it through the register along with his huntsman license once it asked for identification.

"All seems to be in order." she said and handed both cards back to him along with a room key. He took both and shoved them in his pocket. "Please head up the stairs to your right. Your room will be at the far end of the balcony. Your beverage will be there shortly." Qrow nodded and headed towards the stairs.

With his hands in his pockets, he strode up to the second floor looking forward to an actual bed for once. A couple nights ago he actually slept in his bird form on a tree. Though that certainly wasn't the first time. He groaned at the experiences and then stepped in... Mud? He was at the beginning of the hallway and there were just footprints of mud trailing down it. _"That's weird."_ he thought and then when he looked down the hall he saw three young girls. Two dark blondes standing in front of a black haired one. He heard laughing followed by steam bursting along the balcony. Just from the randomness of it Qrow assumed it was a semblance somehow.

* * *

**A Couple Minutes Earlier**

Cinder was scrubbing the carpet. She... Never actually thought scrubbing it with soap and water was the best thing for the fabric, but never questioned it. Though she was sure once it's color was lost she'd be blamed for that too.

Letting out a sigh, she sat up finally finished getting the dirty footprints out that patrons leave. Now she got to go to her... 'Bedroom' and eat some dinner... That she had to steal. Honestly, she was positive her step family knew she stole food at this point because they never feed her, and she hasn't keeled over yet.

**Smush**

Cinder heard some squishing sound behind her followed by giggles from who she knew were the twin devils. When she turned, her eyes widened to see a trail of mud leading all the way to her. The two culprits didn't even try to be sneaky about it either, just giggling and stomping their muddied feet on the carpet some more.

Her right eye twitched a couple times before they both narrowed in frustration. Her grip clenched around the soaked brush in hand. She stood up while glaring at the girls. Growling in anger, Cinder lifted the brush up and subconsciously activated her semblance, heating it up. When she threw it down, it landed inside the bucket of water she was using to clean and steam suddenly engulfed all of them in an instant.

Cinder went from angry to confused. She had no idea where all this steam came from. Did a pipe break loose or something? Her and the twins were all wafting their hands for it to dissipate.

When it was clear enough to see, Cinder saw both her step sisters glaring at her. But why? What did she do? They didn't Seriously believe all this dumb steam was her fault did they?

"Ugh! All this steam is going to do horrendous things to my hair! Do you know how long it takes me to curl it?!" one of them says.

The other steps forward, muddying the floor even more. "And our dresses! You're going to have to fix them if anything is stained!" she then lifts her hands up and shoves Cinder, pushing her to the ground.

The two of them giggled again. "And just look at this mud! It got our shoes dirty! You'll have to clean that too."

Cinder clenched her teeth and glared at the twins while they laughed at her. _"They... They..."_ Her hand began to heat up once more, singeing some of the fabric from the carpet.

Muddy hands were then placed on both twins' heads. "Hey, hey."

The giggling stopped and it even snapped Cinder out of her anger to look up at the newcomer. Her step sisters shivered from the mushy sensation on their heads and then turned to the culprit. It was a man, probably somewhere in his thirties. Black hair, red eyes, scuffle for a beard, only half his shirt tucked in, and... A ragged cape? Honestly, he looked like some weirdo. Definitely not someone who frequents this kind of place. Though her eyes then laid on the large sword strapped to the back of his waist and they widened. _"A huntsman."_ she realized.

The man knelt down just a bit so he could lock eyes with the twins. He suddenly pulled his hands away from their heads once their eyes were on him. "Oh! Whoops sorry there girls. Just tried to get your attention. Didn't realize my hands were covered in mud. I _wonder_ where it all came from." he smirked. He lifted himself back up. "Either of you wouldn't happen to know where room... Uhh..." he pulled the key out of his pocket and looked at it's tag. "210 would be, would ya'?"

The twins ignored his question and instead slowly lifted their hands up to touch the mud sinking into their groomed hair. Expressions of disgust graced their face as they turned to each other in a panic then dashed passed the man. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" they began to cry. The strange man watched them run down the balcony hall and shrugged his shoulders. "Heh, guess not."

They muddied the floor even more as they ran... But Honestly, Cinder didn't seem to care. Just watching them get a taste of their own medicine was worth it. She sat up straight and a chuckle escaped her lips. An actual laugh. When... When was the last time she felt this kind of joy? She couldn't remember, but if this was the first time then she was happy it was.

"You alright?"

The voice snapped her out of watching her step sisters misery and she looked up to see their tormenter lowering a muddy hand down towards her. She looked up at him, then at his hand, then again at him a bit skeptically. A muddied hand...? _"Was this another prank on his part?"_ She thought suspiciously.

The man seemed to realize and brought his hand back to his stomach. "Ah, right. Hang on." he said and actually wiped the mud off using his own shirt. Once it was... Cleaner, he lifted it back out again for her to grab again.

Though... Cinder was confused. Why was he helping her? What did he have to gain? Her hand slowly inched towards his to accept the offer up. _"He doesn't even know me..."_

Just before she could take his hand, she saw her step mother walk up onto the hallway balcony. Her hand froze while her eyes widened fearfully. The man looked down at her in a bit of confusion and turned to see the desk woman walking towards them.

Cinder lowered her hand and used it to lift herself off the ground, not taking the mans offer to help her up. "M- Madam." she said and cupped her hands together at her waist while lowering her head slightly.

Step mother narrowed her eyes and stood straight with poise. Their gaze travelled from Cinder, to the patron, to the muddy floor, but then back to her. Cinder flinched when she did so. "Cinder. Get Balkan Vodka, top shelf and deliver it to room 210. Afterwards clean this mess up."

Cinder nodded without lifting her head up. "Yes Madam." she said and slowly walked passed the two while avoiding the mud. Once she was a couple meters away her pace quickened to get to the stairs as fast as she could without sprinting.

* * *

Now Qrow has his own complicated relationships. So he could tell the one between the girl and hostess was definitely weird. However the lady turned and actually smiled towards his direction. "I'm sorry about that. I hope she didn't cause you any trouble.

Qrow paused for a moment and looked behind the lady to see that 'Cinder' girl quickly escaping down the stairs. Though he looked back towards the woman. "Nah, it was actually those two gremlins that caused all this."

The woman visibly flinched. Eyes narrowing and smile faded. "I see. I will take care of that. Well, room 210 should be at the end of the hall. You shall find some towels in there for your shirt and shoes as well. Enjoy your stay."

"... Yeah, right." he said and turned around, walking towards his room. He was beginning to regret coming here, he always had an annoying habit of getting into trouble. And he could tell this place was chock-full of it.

But for now he just wanted to relax. Been on the road-... Sky for a while now and just needed a drink. So he used the key to open up his room and stepped inside. Looking around, it was nice. Real nice. Drapes over the window, clean bed, scroll-vision, bathroom, minifridge, table, the works. He closed the door behind him and grabbed Harbinger, tossing it onto the bed and headed into the bathroom.

* * *

Cinder speed walked to the back room and let out a breath. Her step mother had ways of hiding it, but she could tell the woman was furious. At her. She shook her head and quickly grabbed a stool in the room and used it to gain access to the top shelf. "Balkan Vodka..." she muttered looking for it. She had to find it soon. If her step mother got here and they were alone... Cinder shuttered.

Her eyes caught the vodka she was searching for and quickly snatched it, hopping off the stool and darting to the door which led to the main hall. However just before she could grab it's handle, the door flung itself open, knocking Cinder back. She almost fell but caught herself.

But that wasn't what worried her. Cinder looked up to see her step mother scowling. Fear shook through her body and she unconsciously took a step back, clutching the vodka. "M- madam... I... Uhh-" however she stopped short when her torturer took out a familiar switch from her pocket. Cinder's eyes widened. "No! Please, I can-"

The button was pressed.

Sparks flung out of the lightning dust necklace, shocking her. She lost her breath mid speech and gasped a painful groan, dropping the vodka bottle on the floor for it to shatter.

"That wasn't very lady like, now was it?!" her step mother growled while holding the button down. Cinder was in too much pain to respond and just fell to her knees, slowly reaching for the necklace but stopped before she could grab it. Ripping it off would only make things worse...

Step mother finally ended the shock torture and glared down. "Now say it." she ordered.

Cinder was breathing heavily, trying to collect herself. Her teeth gritted in frustration. She was so weak and pathetic! She wanted to whack that button from her hands, kick her in the knees to bring her down, then grab her throat and-

She sighed and looked down. "... Without you, I am _nothing."_

Step mother huffed and lowered the button, pocketing it. "Good. Always remember that." she said and walked passed her. "Now clean up this mess, bring a new bottle to our patron, and apologize for your tardiness."

Cinder clenched her fists, glaring at the floor. "Yes, Madam."

Only a few minutes passed. Cinder managed to quickly clean up the mess from the vodka and swept the glass into the corner for now while she delivered the patron his fresh bottle. She stood in front of room 210 and knocked on the door. "H- hello?" she spoke and waited a moment. There was no answer. She knocked again. "I have your beverage." There was silence for another few seconds but before she attempted once more the man inside yelled out.

"Yeah, yeah. Just bring it in!"

With that Cinder opened the door and took a step inside. The man was nowhere in sight, but she turned to see the bathroom door closed and assumed he was inside. She walked over to the night table and placed the vodka bottle there. "I'm putting your drink on the nightstand." she said loud enough for him to hear.

"Sure, That's fine."

And so she was done here. But upon turning around to leave, her eyes laid on his weapon. It was just... Laying on the bed. She approached it and reached out, touching it's red grip. The fabric was tight. She tried gripping it and didn't feel her hand slip at all... If... If only she could have this. Then maybe she could...

Her mind slipped to thinking about her step family again.

Her teeth clenched in anger and her grip tightened around the heavy blade. She dragged it to the center of the bed and folded the blanket over it to keep it hidden. Then lifted the whole bundle up and quickly left the room, shutting the door behind her before the huntsman finished his business.

* * *

About a minute after his vodka was delivered, Qrow exited the bathroom. He stretched his arms, feeling like a new man. "Ahh... Now then, my drink." he turned to the nightstand to see his vodka and reached out towards it... Though his eyes quickly saw that a certain something was missing from the bed beside it.

Harbinger. Along with the blankets

"Where the hell is my weapon?" Qrow muttered. He was positive he put it on the bed and certainly wasn't drunk enough to think otherwise... Yet. He thought back to the person who came in his room for the vodka delivery. His eyes widened. "Ugh, a damn thief? Here? Really?" he groaned and quickly opened his door then went over to the balcony to glance around the main hall.

"C'mon... C'mon..." he mumbled looking around for anyone, anything that could give him direction towards Harbinger. A lot of work was put into that scythe and he'd be damned if he lost it! ... Again.

His eyes then caught the girl from earlier. The black haired one who was scrubbing the floor. She was quickly walking into one of the far back rooms while holding a large blanket. His eyes narrowed. "Gotcha." he smirked and went towards the stairs to quickly catch up with her.

* * *

Cinder pushed the door open with her shoulder and forced herself to walk a bit into the room to drop the heavy hunk of metal onto her mattress. The room was used for storage, which is apparently how her step family saw her as well. All they did was pull down an old dusty mattress that was already in the room and tossed it on the ground for her to use. Everything else in here were meaningless trinkets or old and broken furniture. She was lucky there was a lamp that actually worked.

She let out a huff, her arms tired just from lugging that thing around. The blanket didn't help with the weight at all either. But, she did it! She got herself a weapon! And a big one at that! Admittedly, perhaps too big... She'll need some practice before being able to use it correctly.

A slight grin graced her face as she knelt down and unfolded the blanket covering it. There laid a fully maintenance sword. A well made red grip and some weird gears close to the hilt, a strange design for sure. But Cinder wasn't complaining.

She reached down to grab the blade's hilt and grunted to lift it up. However only half of it did so. "Heavy..." she muttered to herself while still struggling to lift the front of the blade up.

"So here ya' are..."

The voice pierced her heart in a panic and with strength she didn't yet know she possessed, she hoisted the blade up while standing up and turning. The blade quickly felt heavy again and fell, hitting the dull side against her right shoulder. Cinder teetered back from the weight but caught herself, leaning forward to compensate for the extra mass.

The one who stood before her was the man who helped her in the hallway. The one who ordered the vodka, and the one she stole this sword from. Her eyes narrowed along with tightening her grip around the blade's hilt, feeling threatened.

The man seemed to sense this and lifted one hand up. "Whoa there. Not lookin' for a fight." he said and pointed his finger at the sword. "Just want my weapon back, that's all."

Cinder's eyes travelled from the man, then down to the sword. No... She... She _needed_ this. Needed it to be free from all the suffering! Her glare turned cold and she charged towards the man, holding onto the weapon tightly. When she was close enough she swung vertically. However it was sloppy. Not only did she have to lean backwards just to get enough momentum to even swing the sword, the slice was also slow.

The man sidestepped the attack with ease. The sword's edge crashed into the wooden floor, splintering it. He was now at her left and she tried to lift the blade up once more to swing again. However before she could, the man stomped a single foot against the opposite end of the weapon, keeping it locked in the ground.

Cinder gave it a yank, then another but it wouldn't budge. It was held in the floor and that was final. She gritted her teeth and let go of it to turn towards the intruder to swing a fist. But before it even got close, he shoved her hard by the shoulder and she tumbled backwards onto the ground.

She flinched at the sudden contact with the floor and looked up to see the huntsman towering over her. His foot soon left the sword and he grabbed it's hilt normally. "A bit too heavy for ya', don't you think?" he mocked and swung it to the side with ease just to lock it back onto his waist.

Cinder glared at him. Qrow couldn't quite tell if it was anger or not, but she seemed scared. He could guess why too. There's only so many reasons why a civilian wants a weapon. And among those there's even less why a kid would want one.

He sighed. "I guess you're not exactly happy here, kid."

The moment he spoke she lunged at him again with a roar. Pulling her fist back for an amateurish punch. He grabbed it with his own hand then expertly twisted it around her side and held her in an arm lock. Holding her opposite shoulder to keep her there.

He sighed once more. "C'mon, you're gonna have to do better than that." he chuckled a bit. Though she struggled against his hold the whole time. His eyes relaxed and he loosened his grip, lightly pushing her away where she stumbled then fell forward. She turned her body around quickly to get ready for another attack that never came.

_"Not bad reflexes. She's not very good at it, but at least knows what to do."_

He smirked. "Relax, I've got a pretty good idea what you're planning on doin' and lemme tell ya', using this sword's not the way to go about it. Trust me, I've been there."

Her glare tightened. "You don't know-!"

"Killin' them isn't gonna make things any better." he bluntly stated. Cinder seemed to hesitate at that. The angry glare softening a bit. She looked away.

Qrow sighed. "You'll be on the run. And I can speak from experience, that's not a life you want. There's other ways."

Tears began to invade Cinder's eyes and she sniffled a bit. "Like your way?" she cried and looked up at him. "You can do whatever you want. Go wherever you want." she looked down again. "I'm just... I'm..." she sniffled again.

Qrow scratched behind his head while he watched the girl cry. "... How old are you?"

She rubbed some tears from her eyes. "Ten." she stated.

Qrow's eyes narrowed. _"Right in-between Yang and Ruby..."_ He thought for a moment how it would all work out... _"It'd be tight... But I could probably do it. For a while at least."_

"And you want to be a hunter?" he asked to quickly clarify.

Cinder just nodded.

Qrow smirked. "Then I guess we should get started." he said and he could see the confusion morph on her face.

"For what?" she asked.

He lowered his hand to finally help her up. "Training. So what do ya' say... Uh... Cinder, right?" he recalled from their earlier encounter with her step mother.

Cinder's eyes widened. She felt... Well, she didn't know what it was exactly. Perhaps hope? This was the second time this man made her feel something she's never felt before...

Moments passed and she didn't even move, just staring up at him and his hand. "C'mon, take it." he said and leaned a bit further. She slowly brought her own hand up to grab it but before she could Qrow reached down and snatched hers, hoisting her up. "Name's Qrow."

She was now standing upright again and as Qrow let got of her hand she clenched it, bringing it to her chest. She felt... Warmth. Just the right amount. A small smiled grew on her lips. She felt truely happy for the first time in her life.

* * *

**2 Years Later**

Cinder is now 12.

Qrow was a busy man. He could only stay in Atlas for around three weeks before having to go out on another long mission, and even that was pushing it. He gave Cinder a training schedule to follow while he was absent though. She always made sure to complete it daily.

However when he was around they would train every night together. He would teach her, spar her, and test her. They trained in mostly hand to hand, swords, and polearms. Qrow said they were the most basic way to get a real grasp on combat before choosing a weapon. Hand to hand and swordsmanship specifically always went a long way. However he also told her to think about what type of weapon she would want, for that would define her fighting style and future training.

"A sword?" Qrow questioned and Cinder nodded. They were currently in the back room long after her step mother went asleep.

"Yeah, I... I want one like yours." she added and Qrow looked down at his own.

"This isn't..." he began but then just sighed. Getting into how it's really a scythe would only make things more complicated. Plus he already had one trainee begging to be taught how to wield a scythe and he didn't need another. "I don't think a sword like mine's a good fit." He could already see the frown growing on her face.

"Why not? I can-" before she could finish he tossed his blade towards her and she scrambled to catch it. In doing so the weight of the blade made her fall forward a bit. "Now that you can control your aura you have the strength to hold it, but the damn thing's more than half your size. It'll be like swinging around a pillar."

Cinder groaned and lifted the sword up to swing it. Doing so was easy but she did feel her body teeter against her will. He was right, and it irritated her quite a bit. "I can train, practice with it!"

Qrow sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah. You can learn anything given the time but wouldn't it be better to learn something you actually have the talent for?"

She looked down at the blade. It _was_ very big. At least compared to her. Was she biting off more than she could chew? But...

"You're quick on your feet,-"

Her eyes widened and looked back up at her teacher. He grinned. "you're reaction speed's damn impressive, and on top if it you have good depth perception." _And you're ferocious._ He added that last part mentally. "A big hunk of metal like this'll just slow you down. You want something smaller, thinner, lighter. It could even still be a sword."

Cinder thought for a moment but sighed and flipped the sword around to hand it back to Qrow. "Yeah... Yeah, alright." He took it and reattached it to his belt. "What other kinds of swords are there?" she asked.

Qrow grinned. Now they were getting somewhere, and if there was anything Qrow knew about it was setting up a good weapon. "Well, if we're going with something light...-" the two of them ended up sitting down against the wall for the remainder of the night together talking about weapons. Qrow suggested sabers, rapiers, short swords, daggers, ect~ while going over the advantages of them all along with the downsides.

After a few nights of practice and discussion, it seemed she settled on a more 'Vacuan' type of blade, a scimitar. It didn't have much defense but the cutting edge of it along with the curve surely assisted in quick assaults. It was probably perfect for her. Hopefully she could find a way to implement some kind of long range weapon into that along with her semblance. But for now it was fine.

After another week of training Qrow had to leave again. Hopefully he wouldn't be gone for long this time.

* * *

**1 More Year Later**

Cinder is now 13. She began to style her hair a bit differently, emulating Qrow a bit. Rather than keeping her hair in any kind of pony tail, she cut it and styled it back while keeping some sharp bangs.

Over the course of the last year Qrow trained Cinder in short blades. As of right now they only use wooden poles to simulate the size of the sword she'll one day use. But it lacked the weight and edge a real blade held. Though this had it's advantages, the biggest was Cinder's aura lasted much longer than if they were using real weaponry so they could train more. It also let Qrow watch her fighting style grow to see what kind of features could be implemented into her weapon.

Cinder also began to grow towards dual wielding. Having a free hand gave more defensive maneuvers and stances, but in a fight the girl was as aggressive as a Beowolf stalking it's prey. It was no wonder the style grew on her.

That being said, wooden weapons put a damper on Cinder's semblance. If she used it accidentally on the wooden pole it would go on fire. A strong semblance for sure, but not one made for wood. She'll need a more flame resistant metal.

* * *

**4 Months Later**

Qrow's been coming and going, though was currently away. Cinder hated it when she was alone. Subjected to essentially torture from her step family with no way to vent her frustrations. Sparring with Qrow quickly turned into a way where she could truely let loose. Going all out and attack another person with zero threat of them getting injured. He was just that skilled.

She was currently scrubbing the balcony railing while keeping an eye on the main hall. She always did this, watch the front doors for Qrow to appear. It made time pass painfully slow yet she couldn't help it.

But then he appears. He _always_ comes back eventually. Sometimes when she's not even watching and surprises her. Though most of the time her eyes catch him the moment he steps into the hotel. She smiled as these were one of those times. She watched him scan the room, probably looking for her and eventually looked up to see her cleaning.

She lifted a free hand up and waved. He reciprocated it with a quick hand gesture. She would get to see him again tonight, get to train, to spar, to laugh, to feel alive again.

"Ahem."

Cinder's smile faltered and she turned to see her damn step mother a couple feet from her. The wicked woman's eyes narrowed to a glare and looked down to see Qrow who was now approaching the front counter.

"I brought you here to work, not attempt to mingle." she growled.

Cinder flinched under get words and turned away to get back to scrubbing. "Yes, Madam." she spoke.

Her step mother then turned and walked away, most likely to greet Qrow at the desk... As she left Cinder let out a sigh.

Her step mother... Qrow knew she existed, obviously. But Cinder never could tell him what really went on here. He probably knew she was mistreated, but doubted he knew to what extent. In fact, _she_ didn't even know to what extent until she met Qrow and learned... Well, about what actually being _cared_ for felt like. Even if just a little. She thought about telling him everything but... It scared her. What would he think? That she was really weak, worthless trash. He'd probably throw her away.

* * *

After a long day of work, Cinder stepped into her store room / makeshift bedroom to see Qrow already inside waiting for her. All feelings of exhaustion from work vanished and her spirit leaped higher.

"Qrow!" she ran up to him. He grinned and rubbed her hair a bit.

"Hey there. Glad to see you're still goin'. I've been away for a while longer this time. Been busy out in Vale lately." He's been having to train Ruby more and more, but decided to leave that part out. Cinder didn't actually know anything about his family in Vale. Figured he'd break that topic out a bit later.

Cinder nodded. "It's fine," she assured. Honestly, whenever he was around she stopped caring about how long he's been gone for. "So what kind of training are we going to be doing? Swordsmanship? Semblance? Sparring?" she admitted that she sounded a bit too giddy.

Qrow sighed and his expression fell a bit. Cinder seemed to be able to read it and frowned as well. "You're not staying." she stated. It wasn't a question.

He nodded in response. "No, I'm not. Can't even stay the night, actually. Just got a room to be able to see you before I left."

Feelings of sadness grew and Cinder looked down. "I see." she mumbled. But Qrow placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up again.

"Hey, relax. I'll be back sooner this time. Plus, I come with a gift." he smirked which made Cinder perk up a bit as well.

He turned around and picked up and bundle of cloth, handing it to her. When she took it, she could feel it's weight. It wasn't heavy but certainly not light either. She gasped, realization dawned on her. Holding it with one arm, she quickly began to undo the cloth to reveal two twin scimitars strapped to a belt.

Her eyes widened and used her free hand to slowly grab one, then shuffled the cloth to grab the other with her separate hand. She undid the belt strap and both blades came free. When she held both, the fabric which was covering them fell to the ground. She was now holding two real swords, staring at them in awe.

"Well, go on. Give 'em a swing." she heard him say and gave a hesitant nod.

Stepping a few feet away, she swung one of the scimitars. Rather than a blunt wooden pole, the sword sliced through their air like butter. Barely any air resistance. She then swung the opposite blade for a similar effect. She'd swing and swing and swing some more, rotating her body using the skills she's trained for the last two years. It was exhilarating.

She kicked off the floorboard and entered a vertical spinning slice which swooshed the air around her before she landed perfectly in a crouch. Now panting, she stood up and held both blades in front of her with a smile. Using the wooden sticks made maneuvers like that difficult due to air resistance, but despite the heavier weight from these blades, their aerodynamic possibilities are far greater!

Qrow let out a whistle. "Not bad, kid." she turned to him still smiling. "Practice with those, get used to their weight." he said and took a few steps forward, approaching her. She fully turned to him as well while he did so. "Next time I'm back we're gonna be using real weapons from now on, with what I just saw I expect you to be better than usual."

Cinder gave a happy nod. "Yes!"

Qrow grinned but a spark of what seemed like realization crossed his face. "Ah, right. One more thing." he said and grabbed her right wrist, lifting it up. "Go ahead and use your semblance on it."

Cinder's expression faltered and eyes widened. Qrow always had her practice her semblance, though never with a weapon. The silly poles they used could never handle it. Her gaze turned down to the scimitar she held and with some slight focus, activated her semblance.

Her right hand glowed red suddenly, indicating that it had been activated. In turn, the sword's hilt began to heat up as well. It obviously became hotter from it's appearance despite Cinder being unable to feel it. However a moment later the heat rapidly spread along the edge of the blade.

Cinder's eyes widened and watched her now molten-edged scimitar. It was heated up to such an extent, she could feel it warming her!

Qrow smirked. "There's some fire dust inside the grip. That and using two different metals, both flame resistant but the one used for the sword itself more so. Then the metal used for the edge of the sword less. So when you activate your semblance, it'll ignite the fire dust and shoot it up the edge of your sword, heating it up. It's temperature basically reaches as high as your semblance can go."

Cinder listened to the explanation while swing her scimitar around more slowly, staring at the firey glow entranced. After a few more moments she turned off her semblance and to her surprise, the blades instantly cooled off.

Qrow seemed to notice her confusion and explained further. "Ah, there's a tiny bit of ice dust in there. Once the heat source goes away, it uses the ice dust to lower the temperature." he shrugged. "You can mess around with it a bit, maybe you'll want it to stay hot a while longer. Figure out what works for you and use it."

She nodded. "Alright!" she answered and knelt down to grab the belt for the twin scimitars, equipping it to her waist, then latching her two weapons to both sides of her. She turned to look into a long mirror she had in the store room and smiled. She looked cool, like a hunter, like _Qrow_.

Time seemed to stop for her there while she just turned to different angles and, for the first time, enjoyed watching herself. Though Qrow eventually snapped her away. "Anyway, I'm gonna have to go now." he said.

Cinder's expression immediately fell. "Oh... Okay." she mumbled. But Qrow just lifted a hand up and ruffled her hair again.

"Relax, like I said. I'll be back sooner this time. a week, tops. Maybe less. My mission this time's around Atlas, alright?" he reassured, which was strange.

Qrow rarely gives her anything but a vague timeline. He said it's because things can change and he didn't want to give her false information. But the fact that he did so this time gave her hope that it will probably really be just a week. So her smile came back and she nodded. "Alright!"

"I'll see ya' around kid." he lowered his hand and stepped out into the hallway leaving her alone again.

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

Qrow was walking through one of med bay hallways with 'Specialist' Winter Schnee. He never expected to be working this close to any Schnee, but apparently life always likes to throw his expectations out the window.

They were tasked on taking out a growing weapons trade for the last couple days. Someone's been getting their hands on Atlas tech and selling it to outsiders. Turns out, to no ones surprise, the culprit was an Atlas lieutenant which dealt under the table for a while now. But that wasn't the worst of it. They also traded dust, had their whole set up inside a hidden mine in the tundra outskirts.

Qrow took a swig from his flask before breaking their silence. "Honestly, I don't believe old man Schnee didn't know about this. He's got an choke hold on all the mines surrounding Atlas."

Winter continued to walk in attention, knowing they were going to soon approach the General. "The Schnee Dust company is not all knowing. This mine was more hidden, far away, behind mountainous terrain, and deeper underground than usual."

Though Qrow just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and not a Grimm in sight. Fancy that."

This time Winter frowned and swung on her heels to glare at her... 'Companion' for the last couple days. "If you're insinuating that-"

"You _know_ what I'm 'insinuating', Schnee." he interrupted. He could see Winters frown weaken and she looked away. What he was insinuating was that there was no way the SDC, Jacques Schnee didn't know about this. He either did nothing to stop it or benefitted from it. Possibly worse.

"... Father's a business man. Admittedly a _terribly_ cutthroat one, but no criminal." she sighed. "He doesn't need to be to get what he wants." she spoke bitterly then turned to continue walking.

Qrow followed her. "You really believe that?"

After a pause while the two walked she answered. "... I want to."

Qrow groaned and took another drink. It was rather late, after this last meeting with James he'll probably go get a room at the Glass Unicorn. He doubted Cinder was still awake though.

The two rounded the next corner and saw James standing in the hallway, looking through some glass. He noticed the two once they were visible and turned, ready to greet them.

"Schnee." he nodded and Winter tightened her posture in attention. "Sir." she greeted in kind. He then turned to Qrow to see him hunched over with a flask in his hand. As he took another sip, he could feel Winter's sideways glare at him which did nothing but coax him into taking a longer drink.

Once he was finished, he tucked the flask away and James greeted him aswell. "Qrow. Thank you for helping us with this matter." he spoke a bit more casually, which Qrow knew got on Winter's nerves.

Qrow shrugged. "Ehh, Oz asked me to help whenever and I was in the area."

James looked thoughtfully for a moment. "Yes, you've been in the area often these days." he spoke then turned to Winter for a moment. "At ease, Specialist." he nodded toward her and her posture relaxed a bit.

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "That a problem?" He hasn't told anyone about Cinder just yet. Well... He did mention to Ozpin that he's been working on a little... Pet project on the side. Didn't give any other info on it though.

The General shook his head. "No... Just happy you've seen to take more of a liking to it here is all." he smiled.

A sudden chuckle came from Qrow which made James' smile fade and Winter harden a glare towards him. "Sorry, sorry." he said and waved his hand. "Though, I guess it's not _as_ bad as I first thought." he admitted. "I'll give it a... Three out of ten." he smirked. Winter scowled and James let out a sigh. "What? You should be happy! It used to sit at a _one_."

Winter spoke up this time. "Must you always-!"

"Yes." he interrupted and smirked towards her. Which only incited a glare in his direction.

James shook his head. "Regardless, I'm... Glad you're seeing some of the good."

Qrow shrugged. "Yeah, whatever." he said but then heard yelp coming from the room beside them. With the glass being see-through, he was easily able to glance inside. It was a faunus, looked like some kind of fox. But what really grabbed his attention was the metal collar around their neck. There was a lady, probably mechanic working on it. The collar had a yellow gem imbedded at it's center with lightning cracking around it. His eyes narrowed. "What is that?" he asked without looking away.

James looked as well and took a deep breath before sighing. "There were plenty of... Unwilling workers in the mine you two took down. Many of them faunus. They had lightning dust collars strapped to their necks to most likely ensure obedience."

Winter spoke up after. "They secretly entered the underground market a couple years ago, expensive too. But just recently become more available to those who seek them out." she looked down. "Most likely due to our traitor."

The collar sparked again and the faunus it was around grunted in pain. He could see the lady try to calm him down while she prodded it with tools. After another couple shocks the clasp snapped open and it fell off. Relief could be seen in the man's eyes.

Qrow couldn't place it, but this felt too familiar. _"Where have I seen that collar?"_

* * *

**Flashback – About a year ago**

_Qrow and Cinder were sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall of Cinder's... 'Room'. They just finished some sparring and Qrow could tell Cinder was getting tired so called for a rest despite her insistence to keep going._

_He looked over and his eyes scanned the yellow dust gem on her necklace. "You always have that on. Where'd you get it?" he asked and gestured to the piece of jewelry._

_Cinder flinched for a second then brought her hand up to hold the dust gem in her hand. "It's... My step mother gave it to me." her hands clutched around it. "She said... It would show me right from wrong."_

_Qrow nodded. "A bit weird, but I guess her heart's in..." he paused and looked around Cinder's living quarters. "Well, not the 'right place'. But maybe all's not lost." he shrugged._

_Cinder sighed. "... Yeah..."_

_There was a pause and Qrow could tell she was a bit on the down side now. So he nudged her with his elbow. "'Ey, c'mon. Let's keep training." he got up. Her expression flipped to a smile and she stood as well, both gripping wooden sticks to continue sparring._

* * *

**Present Day**

Qrow lifted his hand up to comb it through his hair, suddenly looking rather shocked. "Oh shit." he spoke to himself in realization.

James and Winter could see something began to bother him as well. A hand was placed on his shoulder and he turned to see it was James. "Something wrong, Qrow?"

His eyes looked away, darting around seemingly in thought while he began to process what he just pieced together. "... No." he said and stepped through the two of them. "But I gotta go. Something just came up."

"Qrow!" he heard James call out but he already entered into a sprint towards the end of the hall. Surprisingly for his luck, there was already an open window, though too small for him. After glancing around, and not seeing any bystanders, he turned into his bird form.

Someone, probably a random worker carrying a bunch of papers was just about to round the corner when Qrow flew passed them as a bird and exited through the window. They panicked and took a step back, slipping, then dropping the stack for all the papers to flutter around them.

James stared in bewilderment while Winter's posture lost it's professionalism and she looked utterly flabbergasted. "... Sir, what was _that_?!" she was obviously talking about the fact that Qrow just transformed into a bird.

Ironwood sighed. " _Qrow."_ he grumbled.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Cinder just finished the rest of her chores. Looking up at the clock it was a bit passed 11:40. A late night for sure. They did get rather busy tonight. But, it was finally over and she could go back to her hole for the night. Hopefully Qrow will be back tomorrow, he did hint his time away could be shorter after all. Plus she's been practicing with her new scimitars! They felt so much better than wooden sticks, self training has never been better. Or as fun. She'll have to come up with a name for them soon.

She opened the back room door and her smile dropped immediately upon seeing the twin devils inside her room. The curly haired one was even holding one of her swords!

The other sister crossed her eyes and glared. "Cinder, this is yours isn't it?" she asked, but probably wouldn't listen to any excuse.

The one holding her sword gave it a light swing to the side. "Hmph! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

The twin sisters stepped towards her, both wearing smirks. Cinder's shock turned into a scowl. Into anger. _"How dare they touch my sword!"_ Her aura flared alive. She quickly launched herself forward and pushed her step sister which was holding the sword onto the ground. "Let go of it!" she shouted while doing so.

The girl grunted in pain after getting knocked down and the scimitar clattered onto the ground. Cinder still glared down at her in fury until she just realized what she just did. Flashes of her step mother spun through her head. The button. The _collar_. Her eyes softened. "N- no wait, I'm-" she went to walk over and try to rectify the situation but the other sister ran between them.

"Get away!" she growled and helped her twin up who was holding her shoulder in pain. "We're going to tell mom!" they threatened and both left the room in a hurry.

Cinder did nothing but stand there while they left. Shocked, scared, angry... Many emotions flowed through her right now. But worst of all... Sadness

Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees. Her scimitar just a few inches away. She reached out and lifted it up. One hand on the hilt and the other holding the blade. Tears began to swell up while she carressed her blade. Her step mother... She's going to take it away. She's going to take _everything_ away. "Qrow..." she croaked.

Mere moments later her door slammed open. Cinder turned her tear-stained face to see her step mother wearing a face of absolute _fury_. The sight frightened her. "M- Mada-!"

**SLAP**

Before Cinder could even speak a word, her step mother stepped over and reached out to viciously slap her. It stung. Cinder dropped her sword and tumbled over to the side. Her eyes wide with fear. Before she could even get up, her step mother continues.

The woman lifted her foot up and stomped it down on Cinder's back, forcing her body into the wooden floorboards. "You disgusting _wench_!"

Cinder coughed from the sudden jab at her back, but glanced up and behind to see her step mother pull out the device that tortures her existence. Her eyes widened. "No! Pl-" the button was pressed. Rather than words, Cinder let out a yelp while clenching her fists around her neck. She knew she couldn't take the necklace off. If she did, all of this would just be worse.

Her step mother kicked her once again. "No, this isn't enough, is it?" she said and to Cinder's surprise stopped the shocking. However after a moment futzing around with the controls she pressed it once more.

Cinder's mouth opened to scream but nothing came out but a choking noise. Pain. Pure agonizing pain coursed through her body. Though her _spine_. She couldn't believe the device had higher settings, her neck felt like it was on fire!

Her body shook in agony. She heard noises, likely a combination of her own grunts and the muffled voices of her step family. All she could really make out was a loud ringing noise taking over. Cinder knew she couldn't take this much longer. There were more stomps on her back and mid section.

Realization struck her just then. This will be her end. Her death. At first fear coursed through her body. Fear of death. Of it all ending. Part of her wanted to accepted it. To accept the fact that she will die for not accepting her destiny as a mere slave.

She heard laughter. _Laughter of all things._ With what remaining willpower she had left, Cinder turned her head to see her two step sisters grinning behind their step mother while chuckling.

The laughter grew louder and louder. Even overtaking the ringing noise in her ears. She clenched her teeth. Anger- nay, _burning fury_ engulfed her being. Die? Here?! Her aura flickered, blocking out much of the pain to give her a chance to gasp for air between groans. _"They should be the ones to die!"_

Now blocking the lighting shocks with aura, as well as being able to take a breath of air, Cinder sprung from the ground while letting out a battle cry. She swung her arm with reckless abandon for it to slam into her step mothers side. With her aura raging on, the strike forced the woman to get flung across the room, letting go of the button. The shocks have finally stopped, _it was time for them to stop as well._

Cinder heard her step mother screech in pain but didn't let that distract her. She reached down and snatched her single scimitar.

"MOM!"

It was a cry of concern. Of course, from the twin devils themselves. Cinder took a stepped forward. Scimitar in hand and a glare that could kill aimed towards them. She could see their concern turned into fear. The same fear she must have felt just moments ago.

"G- get back!" the straight haired one ordered. However Cinder was able to close the distance in a second, then before either could react, stabbed the one who spoke through her gut. They let out a gasp.

The curly haired twi- _girl_ took a step back in fearful shock. "N- no... Rizel..." she mumbled.

Her step mother shook her head and collected herself a bit before looking up and witnessing her own daughter being stabbed through the gut. It was a mortal wound for sure. Though the woman didn't act, probably too shocked. A feeling Cinder herself knew too well, however not anymore.

The step sister which she stabbed, fell to her knees with wide eyes as blood trickled down her lips. Cinder used this opportunity to lift her right foot up and press it against her step sister's chest, allowing her to pull her blade out easier.

The body fell down with a thump. Gurgles could be heard coming from her, but Cinder paid the future corpse no further mind. Instead she set her eyes on the other sibling who was trying so desperately to find the courage to move, just to run away. But instead they were nearly frozen, only taking shaky steps backwards.

Cinder walked forward. Just walked. It was already multiple times faster than her target was moving in. But before she did anything, she heard something.

"Rizel..." it was her step mothers voice. Likely trying to come to terms with her daughters demise. "Rizel..." she spoke once more. But Cinder didn't bother turning around or wasting more time. She lifted her scimitar up, ready to strike.

A gasp and clamber was heard. Lightning coursed through Cinder's body once more, forcing her to flinch and groan in pain. "Anna, run!" her step mother called out, now standing and ordering her straight haired step sister.

The shouting of her mother seemed to coax the girl out of her stupor and she turned to sprint out of the room.

"No!" Cinder growled and her aura flickered on once more, defending herself from from the shocks, then leaped up and over her step sister, landing in front of her. This forced her to a halt. She used the opportunity to crouch down upon landing and sweep her leg. The girl came tumbling down. The moment her back hit the ground, Cinder was already prepared with her next strike, holding her scimitar overhead with both hands.

There was a look of panic on the young girls face before Cinder drove the tip of her blade through their chest. **"No more!"** A gasp, then a choke was heard. Blood was coughed out and some hit Cinder's white shirt, staining it in red. Cinder pulled her sword out. The girl was dead. Both of them were. Now there was only one left. She turned towards her step mother.

There were more shocks, but it didn't stop her. Sure, it was a bit painful but thanks to her aura it didn't inhibit her anymore.

"No... Rizel... Anna..." tears, actual tears dripped from the woman's eyes while she clenched down on the shock button for zero results.

Cinder began to walk towards her step mother until she was just a few feet away from them. The woman took a few steps back. "St- stay away! You- you..."

The woman didn't get to finish. Cinder grabbed her by the throat and thanks to the strength granted to her thanks to aura, was able to easily lift the grown woman off the ground. Her step mother let out choking sounds while continuously pressing the shock button. However it didn't work. Cinder's aura held up and protected her from such weak sparks.

Cinder closed her eyes and growled. "You know... You're right." she spoke despite the shocks. Her hand began to heat up while holding onto her step mother's neck. Choking sounds turned to screams. "Without you, I am _nothing._ " she then opened her eyes to glare at the evil woman. "But because of you, I am _everything!"_ Her grip then tightened and her semblance scorched through the rest of the woman's skin and muscle for Cinder to easily snap her neck with one hand. Her arms went limp, dropping the remote and finally ending the endless electrocution. Cinder then tossed the body on the floor without care.

"Cinder..."

Her eyes went wide and she slowly turned towards the door to see Qrow standing there above the corpses of her two step sisters.

* * *

**A Couple Minutes Earlier**

Qrow flew as fast as he could. He knew he had time. Cinder's spent _years_ living with what he could only describe as a monster upon his realization. But she deserved to be out and away from there as soon as possible.

 _"Why?! Why didn't she just tell me?! I knew her time there was rough but..."_ he wanted to release a growl but the only noise which came out was a 'caw' sound, muffled by the wind.

He flew into the ally way between the Glass Unicorn and transformed back into his human form. Dashing onto the sidewalk, he quickly went through the hotel doors and glanced around.

Empty. Oddly so, actually. No one was even at the counter. He took a deep breath and walked across the lobby. "Hello, anyone here?" he asked loudly. No answer. However he heard a crashing sound in the back. Towards Cinder's room. He let out a sigh and began his way towards her storage room expecting to see her training. However the door was half-way open. That was strange, Cinder's biggest priority thus far has been secrecy. He then heard groans and grunts coming from the room. Panic struck him and he dashed for the door, opening it up fully.

Laid before him were the corpses of two children surrounded by blood. His eyes widened and he looked up to see Cinder choaking her step mother with a firey hand while being electrocuted by the woman.

She had her eyes closed. "Without you, I am _nothing._ " she then opened her eyes to glare at the cruel woman. "But because of you, I am _everything!"_ Her grip then tightened and her semblance scorched through the rest of the woman's skin and muscle for Cinder to snap her neck. The lady's arms went limp, dropping the remote and ending the shocks. Cinder tossed the body on the floor.

Qrow's expression dropped. He was too late. He figured everything out too late! Just like always! He gritted his teeth. "Cinder..."

The girls eyes went wide and she slowly turned towards his direction. Her expression was unreadable for a moment. "Q- Qrow...". It sounded like she was in shock. "I- I..." A broken grin spread across her face while she seemed on the verge of tears. "I'm finally free!" she managed to croak out.

Qrow stared at her while tears began to develop at the edges of her eyes. She's snapped. He knew just from looking at her. There's been times in his life where he saw people with similar expressions, though not to this extent. A thirteen year old girl pushed into killing. No, _his_ thirteen year old girl. It felt like a hole just formed in his chest from looking at her.

She became like this because of _him_. Because he's a drunk idiot that couldn't see what was right in front of him!

He let out a shaky breath and looked down for a moment to glance at the twins' corpses. This wasn't supposed to happen. And he wasn't about to let this continue. He looked up with a determined expression and stepped over the bodies towards Cinder.

He saw her eyes widen, though wasn't sure what she was thinking. But for now he wanted to get closer. Step after step he watched her expression turn into anger- no, rage. He doubted she could be reasoned with right now. Once he entered range, he watched Cinder lunge at him, a vertical swing with her sword while letting out an agonizing battle cry.

He tracked it easily and lifted his right hand to catch it. Though didn't use any aura. The blade sunk into his skin, causing him to let out a painful grunt. He dealt with it and wrapped his fingers around the scimitar, now using his aura to strengthen his grip on it.

At the sight of his blood he saw Cinder freeze. He took this moment to lift his opposite hand up and place it on her head, ruffling her hair. He could tell she was confused and smiled at her bewilderment. She let go of her scimitar and so did he for it to hit onto the ground. "Sorry I took so long to figure it all out."

Her face underwent many emotions just then. From shock to confusion, then disbelief to sadness. He heard her sniffle as tears flowed from her eyes. "I... But I... It..." Qrow used his other hand, albeit bloody, to reach around her back and pull her in for a hug. "It'll be alright." he assured.

The grandfather clock began to sound, alerting them that it was now midnight.

Cinder shook from the sudden connection, but after a moments hesitation she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his midsection to scream into his chest, crying.

**"It hurt so much!!!"**

"Yeah."

**"It was so painful!!!"**

"I know."

**"Why?!"**

"I don't know."

**"Why did it have to be me?!?!"**

Qrow couldn't answer her this time and just held her tighter while she bawled her eyes out into his hug. _"That's something I've never been able to figure out either."_ he sighed and looked up at the broken moon through the windows.

* * *

**Not gonna lie, that ending I wrote actually had me tearing up. I knew what kind of scene I wanted to make there, but as I started writing Cinder's abuse and then her crying into Qrow it all just kind of wrote itself. Which made it even more depressing.**

**I was actually going to continue this chapter a bit longer but after finishing those last few lines I decided it was a really good place to end it.**

**I started writing this because I _love_ Cinder as a character. Because she's simple and I know what makes her tick: She wants to be powerful. So overwhelmingly powerful that even thinking of fighting against her is laughable at best. So if she's not that powerful then any power she's obtained thus far is worthless to her. But since the only thing she values is power, if that's worthless then so is she.**

**Then with the addition of her backstory in Volume 8, I know why she's that way too.**

**Now, I want to show where I stand. The desire for more power isn't a 'bad' thing. In the show, Cinder's 'bad' because she'll do _anything_ for more power. So I hope with my writing I can portray a 'power hungry' Cinder who's also 'Good aligned'. Probably not rainbow and sunshine 'good', but good enough.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out. I spent a _month_ writing this one. But I also worked on a lot of other things, such as how I want this fic to end or certain story points for it. So I'm hoping I can get the next one out sooner. But seriously, no promises. 'Cause I'm also a lazy shit.**


End file.
